


Subordinates

by MikazukiMunechika305



Series: After The End [2]
Category: Saiyuki Gaiden
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 16:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5878282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikazukiMunechika305/pseuds/MikazukiMunechika305
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Goujun, the Dragon King of the Western Sea, witnesses Kenren Taishou's death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subordinates

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I don't own the characters or Saiyuki in general! And after writing the story from Kanzeon Bosatsu's POV, I just felt like I had to add Goujun... because he really is a nice character!
> 
> As always, please enjoy reading, and I'm always happy to read reviews! ^-^

A bullet shoots past Goujun’s face and hits the wall, missing his cheek just for millimeters.  
“Oi. If you’re just gonna stand there stupidly, I’m going first,” Kenren grins up at him from down there and Goujun pulls out his sword, leaping forward swiftly.  
Kenren clearly is at the disadvantage because he is still very exhausted from his fight against Nataku before, and in addition, he doesn’t have many bullets left, but nevertheless he manages to fight Goujun on equal terms for some time.  
They are moving so fast that you can barely see anything besides the flashing of their weapons in the dimmed light, and then, suddenly—it’s over.  
Kenren lies on the floor, his gun pointing upwards, aiming at Goujun’s chin, while Goujun is threatening him by pointing at his neck with the tip of his sword.  
A weak laugh escapes Kenren’s mouth, “Heh… You’re lucky. I’m out of bullets.”  
Having said those words, he lets his right arm fall to the ground in exhaustion.  
_Not only out of bullets… Even his strength to hold up his arm is gone,_ Goujun thinks, but doesn’t lower his sword.  
Instead, he rises it, the tip aiming for Kenren’s chest. He can’t show a weakness or mercy now. Not now, after he has already fought Kenren… he could have let him go before, but he hasn’t, so he has to finish what he has started now.  
“Goujun!” Kenren suddenly calls out, his eyes widening in shock, and Goujun is a second too late to realize why he calls his name so worriedly.  
He feels the sharp claws cut open his back and rip apart his clothes—however, the injury isn’t deep enough to kill him immediately. Coughing up blood, he turns around to see one of the golden-eyed bear-like monsters stand up above himself, one of its eyes a bloody wound and the other one full of… a feeling he can’t exactly define.  
A foot kicks away Goujun’s legs under his body; he slithers across the floor, which is wet of blood, and falls down into what has probably been a drain or something similar before the monsters have destroyed it while fighting Kenren.  
Goujun manages to get hold of the metal bars that once have covered the deep hole and now are mostly crushed—but this part still seems to be rooted firmly in the floor of the room above.  
“Kenren!” he calls out, suddenly really worried, although he forces his voice to make the call sound like an order. “Kenren! Come down here with me! Kenren Taishou!!!”  
There is no reply to hear.  
Instead, the sound of claws tearing apart human—no, a god’s—flesh, and then, a voice which at first is quiet, then sounds whole lot more strong-minded and convincing than painful.  
“I understand… You’re still alive too, right? If you’re hungry, then eat… If you’re hurt, then struggle… If you’re suffering, then scream.” Kenren’s voice is strong now, as strong as it has been before, if not even stronger. “That’s what it **_means_** to be alive!” he calls out. “Don’t you **_dare_** leaving a single bone!”  
Goujun knows exactly what he means even although he can’t see what’s happening above him anymore.  
“ ** _Live_** , Nataku!!! Live. Live on. Do everything you can to live! With a proud heart, until you’ve completely withered!”  
And then, it’s quiet.  
No more sound is audible in the dark hole of which Goujun doesn’t know if it has a ground at all.  
The first thing he does now is relaxing the tight grip of his right hand around the hilt of his sword. He doesn’t hear it hitting any kind of ground… because he doesn’t pay attention anymore.  
The second thing he does is lifting up his right hand until it almost touches his temple.  
His glance is directionless now, full of sadness, full of the same sadness his whole blood splattered face expresses.  
_Even if we haven’t gotten along always… even if they have held me captive and used me as a hostage… they still were my loyal subordinates. And I can’t say I hated or didn’t care about them._  
The third thing Goujun does is relaxing his left hand which has been clinging to the metal bars until now.  
Then, he falls into an endless darkness.

“Goujun.”  
“Kanzeon Bosatsu.” He doesn’t look up from the paper he’s writing on and just goes on finishing the sentence he has started writing. When he is finished with it, he puts away his feather and looks up. “What is it, Kanzeon Bosatsu?”  
The Merciful Goddess smiles her partially sarcastic smile. “What are you writing?”  
“…A report.”  
“What kind of report, if I’m allowed to ask?”  
“A military report about the last mission in the Lower World.”  
“Heh~” she hums and leans in to look over his shoulder and read a part of his text.  
He sighs devotedly and lets her go ahead.  
“You’re writing about Kenren Taishou?”  
“I… witnessed his death,” he admits slowly and it makes his heart clench once again. He has lost his left eye during this progress, as well as a very small part of his heart—at least, that’s what it feels like. “I want the higher-ups to know what happened.” _As well as everyone who will ever read this._  
But he doesn’t need to tell Kanzeon Bosatsu that he is going to keep a copy of the report for himself to leave it behind for those who are interested in the history of Heaven.  
She just gives him a honest, gentle smile—one of her very rare honest smiles—and turns her back to him. “I just came to see what you’re doing. …The higher-ups ordered me to.”  
“Keep telling me that. Maybe I’ll believe you in a few years.” He just can’t keep this sarcastic comment to himself.  
“And you keep telling me that you’re writing your report for the higher-ups. You just don’t want to admit that it’s like a diary to you.” She chuckles, but her voice sounds more precarious and shaking than usual.  
She sounds just like Goujun feels.  
He waves her away. “Do what you want to do, Kanzeon Bosatsu. I won’t say anything about your nephew and Son Goku, except you ask me to.”  
This is everything he can do for her now. He doesn’t even really like her usually, he barely talks to her, but he knows that she needs some support right now as well, even if she doesn’t show it.  
He has to tell the higher-ups about Kenren Taishou and Tenpou Gensui’s death, but he won’t mention Konzen Douji and Son Goku in order to not give Kanzeon Bosatsu more trouble than she already has.  
Of course they know about the rebellion, but they probably don’t know that Konzen is dead and that Goku is now in the Lower World yet.  
“…They know about Goku. They ordered me to seal his memory. But I’d be thankful to you if you wouldn’t mention Konzen… and the fact that I didn’t erase all of his memory. I left him his name, because it means so much to him… and I didn’t seal everything completely so he will remember in time.” Kanzeon Bosatsu’s voice is quiet now, but Goujun’s fine sense of hearing makes him understand her, though.  
He nods. “That’s fine by me. Now go.”  
She hesitates, then briefly bows in front of him. “Thanks.”  
“Go,” he orders her again because he doesn’t know how long he can hold himself back anymore.  
He’ll probably have to change his report, too. The version he will give to the higher-ups won’t contain any mentions of Konzen Douji and Son Goku. He’ll focus on his loyal subordinates, Kenren Taishou and Tenpou Gensui.


End file.
